Digimon: Progeny
by Ice-Princess-Amber
Summary: The Digidestined encounter Amber, but will she be able to help them defeat the last of the Dark Masters?
1. Default Chapter

Author's Notes: This is set as the last episode of Season 1. And I REALLY did try to keep everyone in character, but Matt got a little twisted because of what I wanted to have happen. And yes, I did insert myself into the story, because I am a shameless Matt-fan. So no flames, but if you've got criticism or praise, feel free to leave me a review. ;-)  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Digimon, and I forget who does. And yes, I support Taito.  
  
  
  
Digimon: Progeny  
  
   
  
The sun rose above the trees as the Digi-destined awoke and contemplated their next move. "Okay everyone, we have to find Piedmon and defeat him. He's the last Dark Master," Tai told the group.  
  
          "What, are we just gonna waltz up and challenge him again?" Joe demanded, pushing up his glasses.  
  
          "Yeah, something like that," Tai replied.  
  
          "Great, I'm following a suicidal leader," the blue-haired boy sighed, putting a hand over his eyes. "We're doomed."  
  
          "Oh come on, Joe. Don't be such a pessimist," Gomamon argued.  
  
          "But that's what I do best."  
  
          "Let's just head up Spiral Mountain," Sora suggested. "We'll figure out what to do once we reach the top."  
  
          "Well all right, but all this walking is seriously giving me blisters. Oops! I promised I wouldn't complain anymore. Sorry," Mimi apologized.  
  
          "That's okay, Mimi. This is your first complaint in two days," Palmon reassured her, patting her pink-clad friend with a leafy arm.  
  
          "You really are getting better," Izzy added, tapping at his laptop.  
  
          "Don't you ever give that thing a break?" Matt wondered, looking over his shoulder to see what he was doing.  
  
          "We're in the Digital World, and it helps to have someone who knows a lot about computers. I'm just drawing us a map and possible plans for when we face Piedmon."  
  
          "You can do all that on a computer?" TK asked in surprise. "I just thought they were for playing games on."  
  
          "Izzy can do many things on his computer. Though sometimes I wish he'd spend more time figuring out how to defeat Piedmon instead of designing scenarios," Tentomon complained.  
  
          "I am figuring out how to defeat Piedmon. By doing this, I can come up with the best strategy on how to beat him. My digivice has analyzed him, so I know all the attacks he can do. By figuring out how he'll fight us, I can make a plan to counter his advances and defeat him."  
  
          "Okay Izzy, you keep at it. Meanwhile, let's start climbing this mountain," Tai ordered. The group began climbing, helping each other along as the path got steeper.  
  
          "How're you doing, Kari?" Gatomon wondered, walking beside her friend. The young girl smiled at her.  
  
          "I'm fine, Gatomon. Ever since that light touched me, I haven't felt sick at all." Gatomon nodded and thought back to when Kari had been sick. She had thought her human partner would die, but then a strange light had surrounded her, and had made Wargreymon powerful enough to defeat Machinedramon with one swipe of his claws.  
  
          "I hope we can defeat Piedmon," Biyomon said to Sora. "He's a lot tougher than any of the others.  
  
          "Don't worry, Biyo. If we work together we can do it."  
  
          "You think so?"  
  
          "I know so," Sora told her as she gave her a hug.  
  
          "Thanks Sora, you're the greatest."  
  
          "I still say we're doomed," Joe piped up. The others ignored him.  
  
          *                                               *                                               *  
  
   
  
Piedmon was watching the Digi-destined through his huge telescope, and now a smile crossed his face. "So, they think they know all my attacks, do they? Humph! Those meddling brats haven't seen anything yet." He floated over to where a large green fruit sat on a stool and drew his two katanas. He stood there a moment looking at the fruit, then suddenly sliced downward with his swords. "Trump Swords!" The fruit and the stool both fell into four pieces. "See if you can dodge this attack, Digi-destined."  
  
          *                                               *                                               *  
  
   
  
At last the group reached the top of Spiral Mountain, though the sun would be setting soon. "Whew, my feet are killing me," Mimi said as she sat down and fanned herself with her hat.  
  
          "And so are my roots," Palmon added, sinking them into the soil. After a moment she pulled them back up. "No nutrients here," she sighed. Izzy was still tapping on his computer, and TK and Patamon wandered over.  
  
          "You still coming up with a plan?" the little boy asked.  
  
          "I'm nearly done, and I've put in every permutation I can think of."  
  
          "TK, what's a permutation?" Patamon asked.  
  
          "Beats me."  
  
          "A permutation is-" Izzy began, before Tentomon cut him off.  
  
          "Please Izzy, no scientific explanations. You'll confuse them even more." Nodding, the computer-whiz went back to typing while TK and Patamon shrugged and went to go sit by Gabumon and Matt, who was playing his harmonica. The sweet, sad melody reached everyone's ears, and Tai turned around from scouting the area.  
  
          "Don't you know any happy songs?"  
  
          "Sorry Tai, all I play are Blues." Rolling his eyes, the brown- haired boy put his eye to his mini-telescope and began searching for Piedmon's hideout. Suddenly he saw the tall clown, and he was heading their way!  
  
          "What is it, Tai?" Agumon wondered, staring up at him.  
  
          "Piedmon's on his way. Everyone get ready!" he yelled. Matt stopped playing and stood up, and Izzy tapped one last key.  
  
          "I did it! I've come up with a foolproof plan to beat Piedmon's attacks. If we follow my computer's instructions, we can't lose," he said.  
  
          "Famous last words," Joe quipped.  
  
          "I thought you were supposed to be "Old Reliable"?" Tai asked.  
  
          "He is. You can rely on him to be a pessimist," Gomamon replied. When Joe shot him a look, he blushed. "Sorry Joe." Just then Piedmon arrived, an evil smirk on his face.  
  
          "So Digi-destined, we meet again. I hope you've enjoyed your time here in the Digital World, because today will be your last day."  
  
          "We'll just see about that, clown-face!" Tai shot back, holding out his digi-vice. "Agumon, you're up!"  
  
          "Agumon warp-digi-volve to… Wargreymon!" As Agumon began to digi- volve, Matt turned to Gabumon.  
  
          "Your turn."  
  
          "Right Matt. Gabumon warp-digi-volve to… Metalgarrurumon!" The two Megas stood in front of the group. Piedmon smiled and split himself into two people. Izzy checked his computer.  
  
          "Both of them are Piedmon, so we all need to fight him!" he shouted. Turning to Tentomon, he nodded.  
  
          "Tentomon digi-volve to… Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon digi-volve to… Megakabuterimon!" Sora turned to her digimon.  
  
          "Biyomon digi-volve to… Birdramon! Birdramon digi-volve to… Garudamon!" Mimi was up next.  
  
          "Palmon digi-volve to… Togamon! Togamon digi-volve to… Lillymon!"  
  
          "Gomamon digi-volve to… Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon digi-volve to… Zudomon!" Joe pumped his fists in the air as Gomamon joined the fight. Kari and TK looked at each other and smiled.  
  
          "Gatomon digi-volve to… Angewomon!"  
  
          "Patamon digi-volve to… Angemon!" As soon as the other digimon had digi-volved into their ultimate forms -or champion, in Angemon's case- they all attacked the other Piedmon. Back and forth they all went, trading blows and being knocked to the ground. Garudamon took an especially hard hit and went down, and Sora cried out:  
  
          "You can do it, Garudamon! I know you can!" Nodding, the giant digimon took to the air again.  
  
          "Wing Blade!" she yelled, unleashing her powerful attack.  
  
          "Flower Cannon!" Lillymon said, adding her own attack.  
  
          "Horn Buster!" Megakabuterimon helped them out.  
  
          "Volpin's Hammer!" Zudomon shouted, throwing his weapon.  Wargreymon and Metalgarrurumon were fighting the other Piedmon.  
  
          "Terra Force!" Wargreymon said, hurling the fiery ball of energy at the Dark Master.  
  
          "Metal Wolf Claw!" Both Megas' attacks hit Piedmon, and he was slammed into the ground.  
  
          "Hand of Fate!" Angemon cried triumphantly, hitting the second Piedmon while Angewomon got the other.  
  
          "Heaven's Charm!" Both Piedmons were slammed together and became one again. He picked himself up and brushed his clothes off.  
  
          "Well, now that was amusing. But enough games, Digi-destined. It's time for the final curtain call." He flung out his hand, and tendrils of black energy arced from his fingertips and held the digimon firmly to the ground.  
  
          "Izzy, what do we do?" Megakabuterimon asked.  
  
          "I don't know! I didn't know he could do that!" Tai turned to stare at him, and the others followed his lead.  
  
          "You didn't know?"  
  
          "That isn't one of his abilities. Someone must be lending him power!"  
  
          "Right you are, my dear boy. You thought it would be so easy to defeat me, but you were wrong! This power is from an evil so great, even Gennai wasn't able to defeat him!"  
  
          "We can still defeat you!" Tai argued.  
  
          "There you go again being suicidal!" Joe screamed as Mimi tried to calm him down.  
  
          "It's no use screaming, Joe. Once Tai makes up his mind, that's it."  
  
          "Don't remind me."  
  
          "I really do hate to interrupt your pointless chatter, but I have a world to conquer. And since you kids are the only ones in my way, I think it's time I got rid of you for good." Drawing one of his swords, he advanced on them. Matt pushed TK behind him, and Sora stepped in front of Kari. Tai would've defended his sister, but he was too far in the front.  
  
          "You don't scare me!" he challenged. Piedmon smiled and chuckled, still walking towards them. Now they began backing up towards the edge of the mountain. Izzy hit it first and looked down. All he saw was darkness, and he could barely make out the tops of the trees. Sure they were only about a hundred feet up or so, but the fall was nothing to sneeze at. All at once Piedmon struck, bringing his sword down between Tai and the rest of the group. Everyone dove out of the way, and Tai found himself right at the edge of the cliff.  
  
          "You Tai, are the very glue that holds the Digi-destined together. If I destroy you, I destroy the others as well. Then it's a simple matter of killing them as well. Goodbye Digi-destined." Piedmon brought the sword up, and Tai could do nothing to defend himself from the sharp blade.  
  
          "Tai!" Matt yelled, standing up and racing over. Just as the katana came down, Matt pushed Tai out of the way. Unfortunately, he couldn't help himself. The blade sliced into his stomach, and he froze for an instant. Crying out in pain, Matt lost his footing and fell off the side of the mountain. Tai and the others could only watch as he rolled down the side and landed in a tall tree. They couldn't see anything after that.  
  
          "MATT!" TK wailed as Joe caught hold of him.  
  
          "TK, stay here!" he said to the distraught child.  
  
          "MATT!" Metalgarrurumon yelled, breaking free of the black tendrils. TK's crest suddenly started glowing, and they all watched in wonder as Angemon began to digi-volve!  
  
          "Angemon digi-volve to… Magnaangemon!" Magnaangemon spread his six wings and faced Piedmon.  
  
          "He who fights and runs away, lives to conquer another day!" Piedmon said as he vanished into thin air. Magnaangemon picked up TK, who was crying now, and hugged him.  
  
          "Don't worry TK, we'll find Matt. He isn't dead."  
  
          "Are you sure?"  
  
          "I'm sure. As soon as we get off this mountain we'll look for him." With that, Magnaangemon went back to Tokomon, who nuzzled TK.  
  
          "Come on everyone, let's get back to the ground!" Sora told them as they raced off down the trail. With Piedmon's disappearance, the black energy had vanished, and the digimon returned to their rookie states. All except for Koromon and Tsunomon, who were in their in-training forms. Tai, Koromon, and Tsunomon stayed back for a moment.  
  
          "He saved me. Matt saved my life," Tai whispered, thinking back to all the times he and Matt had argued and the time that Matt had challenged him. "We have to find him."  
  
          "Sure we will, Tai," Koromon agreed. They ran off after the others. Tsunomon looked down the cliff into the ever-darkening forest below.  
  
          "Hang in there, Matt. We're coming." With that, he bounced off after everyone else, eager to find his human friend. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
   
  
Gennai decided that he would take a walk that evening to go visiting, so he left his lake-house and headed for the woods. He kept an eye on the trees, as Piedmon was still on the loose. "Can't be too careful, even if the Digi- destined are on his tail," he said to himself. A rustling in the bushes stopped him dead in his tracks, and he stared at the three Veggiemon that came at him, evil grins on their faces.  
  
          "What do we have here? Looks like your evening stroll is over, old man," the leader said.  
  
          "I really wish you evil digimon would take a hint and leave me alone," Gennai sighed, leaning on his cane. A shadow in the trees caught his attention, but he didn't bother about it.  
  
          "Oh we'll leave you alone, all right. As soon as we deliver you to Piedmon," the second Veggiemon threatened. They advanced on Gennai, but a voice from the trees froze them in mid-grab.  
  
          "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the alto voice warned.  
  
          "Who's there?" the leader demanded. The shadow in the trees dropped to all fours on the ground and slowly came into the light. At first glance it looked like a teenage girl, but the black tail at the end of her spine changed all such thoughts. On her hands were lethal claws, and she bared a mouthful of fangs. Her yellow eyes narrowed at the digimon.  
  
          "Tail whip!" she cried, spinning around and striking them with her long tail. It knocked all three Veggiemon backwards. "Fire blast!" A fireball shot from her hands and disintegrated one of them. The other two fled the scene. When they were gone, the strange creature turned towards Gennai and retracted her claws. She still had slight fangs, but they looked more like regular teeth now. Her tail swished across the ground, and she straightened out her black jeans and shirt. Hair the color of chestnut tumbled in slight waves to the middle of her back, and her eyes were now a shade darker than her hair. "Are you all right, Father?" she asked Gennai.  
  
          "Of course, Amber. But I could've handled myself. Your old man still has some fighting spirit left," he quipped. Amber blushed and began walking with her father into the woods. "So tell me, have the Digi-destined come through here? I figured you might have seen them on your walks."  
  
          "They passed through here yesterday, but I stayed back. I didn't wanted Agumon, Gabumon, or Gatomon to smell me out."  
  
          "Good thinking, my dear. The last thing you need is to be found out." He saw Amber looking off into the distance and patted her hand. He only came up to her waist, so her hand was basically all he could get to. "Mind sharing your thoughts?"  
  
          "Hmm? Oh nothing. I was just thinking about the Digi-destined."  
  
          "How they're the same age as you?"  
  
          "Yes, and how nice it would be to have people my own age to talk to. Don't get me wrong Father, I love talking with you, but…"  
  
          "But you want to talk to other teenagers. I understand."  
  
          "Maybe once they defeat Piedmon, I can reveal myself to them."  
  
          "It's worth a shot, my dear. But you know Amber, sometimes I'm sorry I brought you into this cruel world. I love you very much, but sometimes it isn't fair to you. You are a part of both worlds, but can exist in neither of them." Amber smiled and kissed the top of his head, then swung up into the trees again.  
  
          "I'm doing just fine," she reminded him, heading off towards her home. Gennai smiled and then sighed.  
  
          "She's just like her mother. I'm so proud of her." Whistling to himself, he began the walk back to his lake.  
  
          *                                               *                                     *  
  
   
  
Matt slowly opened his eyes and looked around. All he remembered was getting hit by Piedmon and then falling off Spiral Mountain. But somehow he'd managed to drag himself into the hollow of a large tree. His shirt was covered in blood and had a huge rip in it from the Dark Master's sword. Blood had dried on the large gash in his stomach, and also on the ground all around him. He just hoped that none of the digimon around were carnivores. He tried to sit up, but a searing pain forced him back down. "Oh man, this isn't good," he said through gritted teeth. As he lay there trying to catch his breath, a sound reached his ears. A sound like something moving through the trees towards him. Matt held his breath and closed his eyes, hoping whoever or whatever it was would simply pass by. But the sound grew louder, and a shadow fell across the opening of the hollow he was in.  
  
          "Hello?" a girl's voice called out softly. Through the pain and general haziness, Matt couldn't recognize the voice.  
  
          "Sora? Mimi? Kari?" he answered, though his voice was no more than a whisper. A head suddenly appeared next to his, but it wasn't one he recognized. He pulled back a little, but pain blossomed in his gut, and he doubled over with a strangled cry. Instantly he felt cool hands on his forehead and a calm voice whispering in his ear. But the pain was too much and he passed out into inky darkness…  
  
          *                                               *                                               *  
  
The other Digi-destined had been forced to stop for the night, but they continued their search at the first light of day. "Matt!" Tai called out, using his mini-telescope to try and find any clues as to where he might be. Agumon was beside him, using his sensitive nose to try and locate Matt. Tsunomon rode on TK's hat, very quiet. "What's wrong, Tsunomon?" Patamon asked, flying next to him. He had digi-volved after breakfast.  
  
          "Without Matt I can't digi-volve. And I miss his harmonica."  
  
"I just hope we find Matt soon. It looked like Piedmon really hurt him," TK said as Kari hugged and smiled at him, keeping an eye on Gatomon, who was up in the trees getting a better view.  
  
          "Don't worry, TK. We'll find Matt soon. He couldn't have gone far."  
  
          "That's for sure," Joe added. Suddenly Izzy called out:  
  
          "Guys, over here! Come take a look at this!" He was standing underneath a large tree, Tentomon hovering beside him. Both of them looked worried. When the rest of them came through the bushes, they saw why they both looked like that. A puddle of dried blood was at the base of the tree, and a track of blood led deeper into the woods. TK began crying, and Mimi turned green and had to look away. Tsunomon was in shock, as were most of the others. Izzy swept his digivice over the blood, then plugged it into his computer and typed in a few commands. "This is Matt's blood all right, and at least a quart of it is in this puddle or tracked over the ground. Joe, how many quarts of blood do people have in their bodies?"  
  
          "Six quarts, and if you lose more than four, you can die." TK began crying again, and the three girls did their best to comfort him. Tai smacked his palm with his fist, a determined look in his eyes.  
  
          "We have to find Matt now. I say we follow this blood trail. Matt will probably be at the end of it."  
  
          "Yeah, if something hasn't eaten him already," Gomamon piped up.  
  
          "Gomamon!" all the other digimon yelled as he blushed.  
  
          "Sorry."  
  
          "Come on you guys, let's not forget about Matt. We have to find him fast," Sora reminded them. Tai nodded and divided the group into teams.  
  
          "Izzy, you take Mimi, TK, and Tsunomon and follow the road. Sora, Joe, and Kari, come with me and follow the blood trail."  
  
          "Road? What road?" Mimi asked, staring at the weed-strewn path through the trees. Shrugging, the boys led the way.  
  
"Come on, Mimi. We don't want to be left behind," Palmon insisted.  
  
"You're right, Palmon. Let's go." After they marched off, Tai led his little group off in the same general direction. The blood trail wove in and out among the trees, and sometimes it was darker in places.  
  
"What do you make of this, Joe?" Tai asked.  
  
"Off hand I'd say that Matt was wandering around in the dark, and sometimes he had to stop and rest a while. He was probably in shock, and still might be unless he passed out somewhere."  
  
"Is passing out a good thing?" Sora wondered.  
  
"Not really. If he passes out he could die from blood loss. And to be truthful guys, I don't know what I'll be able to do once we find him. I'm not exactly a doctor." Joe patted the large bag he carried, full of all sorts of necessities. Gomamon patted his leg.  
  
"You're the best that we have, Joe. We know you can do it."  
  
"Let's at least find Matt before you start singing my praises."  
  
"Come on everyone, follow Tai," Kari said as they headed deeper into the woods, calling out to their lost friend.  
  
*                                               *                                               *  
  
   
  
Sunlight hit Matt's face, and he slowly opened his eyes. To his surprise, he found himself in a small room on a bed. A window on his left was where the sun was coming from. The light-blue walls and rug gave off a peaceful feeling, and he stared down at the light-blue comforter that was tucked up around him. A door was across the room on his right, and it led into a small hallway with yellow walls. "Where am I?" he asked himself, starting to sit up. The pain was immediate and sharp, and he winced and fell back down.  
  
"Bad idea. Very bad idea." Suddenly a shadow fell across the bed, and he looked up to see a girl about his age standing in the room. Her chestnut- brown hair was in a high ponytail, and she was dressed all in black. Eyes a shade darker than her hair stared at him a moment, a small smile on her lips.  
  
          "Feeling better?" she asked, her alto voice holding a slight purr to it. She came across the room and sat down on the bed beside him, but didn't make a move to touch him.  
  
          "Who are you?"  
  
          "My name is Amber, and I'm a Healer. I found you out in the forest and brought you to my little house. You've been asleep for nearly twelve hours." Matt was surprised at how long he'd been out, and then a thought occurred to him.  
  
          "I have to go. My friends will be looking for me." He tried to sit up again, but his body was too hurt to stay up, and he fell back down onto the bed. Amber put a cool hand to his forehead and sighed.  
  
          "You're not going anywhere. The other Digi-destined will be all right without you for a little bit. Either that or my father will bring them here." Her words caught him by surprise, and he stared at her a moment.  
  
          "How did you know I'm one of the Digi-destined? And who's your father that my friends will listen to him?" Amber sighed and looked at the floor for a moment, then back at him. A slight look of fear was in her eyes, and Matt wondered why.  
  
          "Do you promise not to be disgusted or frightened?" she whispered, looking into his sapphire-blue eyes. He nodded, and she sighed again. "All right then." Standing up, she turned to the side. At first Matt wondered what she was doing, and then he saw her tail. It looked like a black cat's tail, and it moved and twisted seemingly on its own. He looked back at her, and she faced him dead-on. Now her eyes were yellow like a hawk's, and her mouth was full of sharp teeth and fangs. Claws were on her hands, and they looked sharp enough to tear him apart.  
  
          "What are you?" he asked, half in awe and half in fright.  
  
          "I'm a digi-human. My father is human and my mother was a digimon." She shrank her claws and fangs back to normal, and her eyes returned to being brown. Only her tail stayed to show what she was.  
  
          "Your mother was a digimon?" Amber nodded, but didn't sit back down. She suddenly seemed very timid. "Can you tell me about her?"  
  
          "Do you really want to know?" He smiled at her and sat up as much as he could, then motioned for her to sit on the bed. She blushed and sat down, looking at him for a moment before beginning. "My mother's name was Panthramon, and she was a good digimon. One day she came across a human man, badly hurt and carrying seven digi-eggs. She nursed him back to health and then learned about the eggs. The digimon inside the eggs were to be the partners of the Digi-destined, who had been foretold as the saviors of the Digital World. The man was the last of his people, and they had been chosen to care for the digimon until the Digi-destined arrived here. Well, Panthramon decided to help him guard the eggs. The day they hatched, Pixiemon stopped by to see the new babies. He saw how well Panthramon had cared for them, and so said she could have one wish. She wished to be human for one year, and Pixiemon granted it. She and the man she'd met lived together for a year, until she had to return to being a digimon. After she reverted to her old state, she left the man for a little bit. But a few months later she came back, bringing a baby with her. She knew she couldn't properly care for her child, because this child was born looking like a human, except for her tail. The child's father promised to raise his daughter and teach her many things. As the girl grew older her mother would visit her, but then came the day the Dark Masters showed up. They killed Panthramon and some of the other digimon when they refused to join them…" Amber's voice trailed off as a tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
          "They killed your mother?" Matt asked in shock. While he wasn't happy his mother had left him, he couldn't imagine life if she were to die.  
  
          "Piedmon killed her. My father heard about it from Meramon when he came by one day. He and my mother had been old friends."  
  
          "I'm so sorry, Amber. That must've been awful for you and your dad. I know my brother and I wouldn't want our mother to die."  
  
          "I just wish I could've done something. Father was so upset because he said he should've done something to help." Matt shook his head, but then he got a thoughtful look on his face. Part of Amber's story had struck him funny, like there was a piece of information he'd missed.  
  
          "Amber, you said your father was raising the little digimon until the Digi-destined arrived? There's only one guy I know who could've done that. But then that would mean…"  
  
          "What would it mean, Matt?" she asked, urging him to finish the thought. He stared at her in slight shock before saying:  
  
          "Gennai is your father?" She nodded and looked at the floor. "So you must've been a baby when we first arrived here."  
  
          "When the Digi-destined first arrived I wasn't born yet. After you left, that was when my father started raising me. It's been fourteen years since you left the Digital World." Now he shook his head and looked out the window.  
  
          "Fourteen years? It was only a few days in our world. I knew time moved faster here, but wow."  
  
          "I grew up knowing all about the Digi-destined. My father even gave me the task of watching you all when you finally returned. And that's what I've been doing ever since then."  
  
          "Were you up on Spiral Mountain when?.."  
  
          "Was I there when Piedmon did this to you? No, I wasn't. Father said it was too dangerous. And I'm glad I listened. On my way home last night I smelled your blood and brought you back here to fix you up. I admit it's not much, but at least I stopped the bleeding." Matt lifted the covers and looked down at his stomach. His now-clean shirt no longer had a rip in it, so he lifted it up to see the thick bandages wrapped around his torso.  
  
          "Why isn't my shirt all torn and bloody?" Amber smiled and pulled from under the bed a laptop that looked similar to Izzy's. She typed in the words "Two sodas", and instantly they appeared on the nightstand next to the bed. She took one and offered Matt the other, which he gladly accepted. "How did you do that?"  
  
          "It's a program my father and his friends had been working on before Piedmon destroyed their home. He brought the program with him, and only recently has he perfected it. But it can only create everyday things, not weapons or living creatures."  
  
          "Still, I'm sure Izzy will want to examine it."  
  
          "When the others come, I'll gladly let him play with it."  
  
          "So what did you do? Create me a new shirt?" They both smiled.  
  
          "Something like that," Amber replied with a giggle. Then she got serious again. "Thank you for not thinking of me as a freak. That's what a lot of the digimon called me when I was younger."  
  
          "Hey, if you hadn't turned around, I probably never would've known. Besides, I've seen digimon that look weirder than you. And a hundred times uglier." Amber gave him a sideways glance.  
  
          "Thanks, I think." Matt gave her a big grin.  
  
          "Hey come on, have you ever seen a Shellmon, or a Kawagumon? Those guys are ugly." Amber giggled again and nodded.  
  
          "Ever seen a Megadramon or a Seadramon? They're nasty digimon."  
  
          "I can agree on the Seadramon. Gabumon had to digi-volve to Garrurumon to save me from one. That was the first time he ever went to champion form." Matt got a faraway look in his eyes, and Amber patted his hand. He looked up into her eyes, and they both blushed and looked away.  
  
          "They'll be here soon, and then you and Gabumon will be reunited. It must be nice having a digimon partner, huh?"  
  
          "Gabumon's a great friend, and I love having him around. But it must be cool to digi-volve."  
  
          "I wouldn't know. I've never digi-volved."  
  
          "But you're half-digimon."  
  
          "But I don't know if I can digi-volve. Maybe I can't because I'm half-human. My father doesn't even know. Pixiemon might've known, but the Dark Masters destroyed him."  
  
          "I know. I was there." Both of them were quiet for a moment.  
  
          "Piedmon has to be stopped. Too many innocent digimon have been killed by him. When you guys face Piedmon next, I'm coming with you."  
  
          "But what does Gennai say about that?"  
  
          "He doesn't have to know. I'm supposed to be watching you guys, anyway. I'll just get myself "accidentally caught up" in the fight."  
  
          "I don't know, Amber. Piedmon's a Mega digimon. He's tough even for Metalgarrurumon and Wargreymon."  
  
          "But with me helping all of your digimon, maybe it'll be enough to turn the fight in our favor."  
  
          "Maybe. But what if you get hurt? Gennai would never forgive us."  
  
          "I've idolized you guys my whole life. It would be a dream come true to fight alongside the Digi-destined." Matt gave her a sideways glance.  
  
          "Idolized us? We're just kids like you."  
  
          "You're not just normal kids, you're the Digi-destined." She saw him frown slightly, and wondered if she'd said something wrong. "What?"  
  
          "Sometimes I wish I wasn't one of the Digi-destined. I mean, look at me. Tai is the leader, Sora's like everyone's mother, Izzy is the computer expert, Mimi tries to brighten our day, Joe's the reliable doctor, Kari cares about everyone, TK has the most powerful digimon of the group, and me… What use do I have?"  
  
          "Matt, you have uses. You're a great friend-"  
  
          "To who? I'm always fighting with Tai, and then I end up arguing with everyone else too."  
  
          "But you're part of the Digi-destined, Matt. You have a place in the group, but you just haven't found it yet." Matt looked down at the bandages on his stomach and sighed.  
  
          "I wish Piedmon had killed me. It would've made everyone's lives so much easier." Amber was horrified, and turned his face until she was eye to eye with him. Tears were forming in her eyes.  
  
          "Don't you ever say that! Think how Gabumon and TK would feel if you died! Gabumon can't digi-volve without you, and Piedmon would defeat the other digimon without his help as Metalgarrurumon."  
  
          "But is that all I'm good for? Helping Gabumon to digi-volve?"  
  
          "You're TK's older brother, and you look out for him. And you help out the others when they need it. You're part of a team, Matt. You're the only one who can't see your place in it." He started to say something, but a dull ache from his wound stopped him before he could. Amber put a hand on top of his and brushed his hair away from his face. "You need sleep."  
  
          "I'm fine, really," he insisted, wincing a little as another bolt of pain stabbed through him. Amber saw it on his face and smiled slightly.  
  
          "You don't have to act all tough around me."  
  
          "Who's acting?" They both chuckled, and the brown-eyed girl walked to the window and closed the blinds. Then she went to the door and shut off the light. She stood in the threshold a moment longer, looking at him.  
  
          "I'll be right down the hall if you need anything. I'll wake you up for some lunch later." She blushed and left him alone. Matt smiled and then lay back down, thinking about what Amber had said about his not knowing he was part of the team. He sighed, still not seeing his place, but resolving to take her words seriously. The last thing he thought of before drifting off to sleep was the feel of her hand on his cheek.       


	3. Chapter 3

 Chapter 3  
  
   
  
Tai was getting exhausted, and he was sure the others were too. They'd been searching all day, and still they'd found no trace of Matt or where he could've disappeared to. And now the sun was starting to set, and they couldn't find the other group. "I'm not even picking them up on my digivice," Tai complained, scanning the woods with the small device. Kari sat beneath a tree, resting her feet and talking to Joe.  
  
          "If someone hasn't found Matt by now, I'm afraid he won't make it through the night," the pessimistic boy spoke up.  
  
          "I'm glad TK and Tsunomon aren't here to hear that," Sora chided him. Gomamon picked his head up from Joe's lap.  
  
          "It's the truth, Sora. If we can't find him, one of the other digimon might, and they might not be so nice."  
  
          "But where do we look now? It's late, and the trail ended miles ago," Tai reminded them.  
  
          "Maybe if we wait here, the others will find us," Kari suggested.  
  
          "That's the best suggestion I've heard all day. My feet are killing me," Agumon complained, sitting beside the young girl. Gatomon curled up on Kari's other side, keeping one eye on the darkening forest.  
  
          "Maybe the others have found him," Sora added brightly. Tai sighed and sat beside Agumon.  
  
          "I hope so."  
  
          *                                               *                                               *  
  
   
  
TK, Tsunomon, and Patamon hadn't wanted to give up their search for Matt, but Izzy had insisted they rest for the night. "We'll search in the morning," the computer-nerd assured his younger friend. Mimi hugged TK and patted his head lightly.  
  
          "Don't worry, TK. I'm sure Tai and the others found Matt. We'll meet up with them tomorrow, and you'll see your brother again."  
  
          "Mimi's right. We'll see everyone tomorrow," Palmon added. Tentomon turned to Izzy, who was busy typing on his laptop again.  
  
          "Do you think they really believe the others found Matt?" he whispered as Izzy turned to face him.  
  
          "I think they do, but it's a completely illogical assumption. I doubt they've found Matt, and I doubt we'll find him tomorrow."  
  
          "So where do you think he is?"  
  
          "I haven't a clue."  
  
          "Well that's just super," Tentomon sighed, buzzing off to sit by Mimi and Palmon. Suddenly they heard a rustling in the bushes, and all the digimon stood in front of their human partners. But when Gennai stepped into the tiny clearing, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
          "Are we glad to see you," Izzy told him, shutting off his computer.  
  
          "Have you seen my brother?" TK asked, clasping his hands together in a sort of prayer. Gennai smiled at him.      
  
          "Of course I've seen him. I'll take you to him if you'd like."  
  
          "Would we ever!" he cried, jumping up and down along with Tsunomon. Even Patamon was bouncing around.  
  
          "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Mimi told the boys as they followed Gennai through the trees. After about an hour they came to a small cave, barely large enough for Mimi and Izzy to crawl into. Gennai, TK, and the digimon walked through easily. But as soon as they passed the small rock entrance, the tiny tunnel opened up into a living room. Creamy- white walls and a pale-blue ceiling added to the room's calm look. A log fire was burning in a fireplace at one end, and a kitchen was on the other end of the room. In the center of the room was a large, light-blue couch that was flanked by a matching loveseat and recliner.  
  
          "Where are we?" Tsunomon wondered, gazing around the room. Gennai walked through the living room and into a small hallway near the kitchen. He seemed quite at home in this place.  
  
          "TK and Tsunomon, come with me. The rest of you can make yourselves at home." Mimi and Palmon wasted no time in plopping themselves on the couch, where they found a small coffee table with some food and drinks on it.  
  
          "Wow, I guess someone knew we were coming," Mimi noted, picking up a small sandwich and glass of lemonade. Palmon contented herself with a tall glass of cold water. Meanwhile Izzy, Tentomon, and Patamon were busy exploring the rest of the room and the kitchen. Gennai led TK and Tsunomon through the yellow-walled hallway, then stopped beside a closed door.  
  
          "Matt is in here," he told them, knocking softly on the light- brown wood. He then walked back down the hallway as light spilled from the room. A girl poked her head into the hallway, and upon seeing TK and Tsunomon, smiled brightly at them.  
  
          "Come on in," she urged, opening the door a little wider. They shyly entered the room, and she closed the door behind her. Matt was leaning on a stack of pillows, drinking a soda. When TK saw him, tears came to his eyes.  
  
          "Matt!" he yelled, racing towards his brother. The older boy held his arms out and caught TK in a hug, swinging him up onto the bed so he could sit beside him. Tsunomon bounced up into TK's lap.  
  
          "TK, Tsunomon, what are you two doing here?" Matt wondered.  
  
          "Gennai told us you were here, so Izzy, Tentomon, Mimi, Palmon, Tsunomon, Patamon, and I followed him here. We were all so worried."  
  
          "I was worried about you guys, but then Amber said she'd tell Gennai to bring you all here."  
  
          "Who's Amber?" Tsunomon asked. Matt turned to face the young girl who had opened the door, and TK saw her blush. He also took his first good look at her. She had brown hair down to the middle of her back, and her twinkling eyes were almost the same color. But then he noticed something else. A tail was waving around behind her, and when she shifted to the side, he saw that it was her tail!  
  
          "Cool! You have a tail!" he nearly yelled. Amber blushed a deep red, but Matt motioned her over to the bed. She came reluctantly, but when all three boys smiled at her, she smiled back.  
  
          "This is Amber. She's Gennai's daughter, and half-digimon," Matt explained. TK nodded and hugged her.  
  
          "Thank you for helping my brother," he whispered.  
  
          "It was my pleasure, TK. Your brother is a great guy."  
  
          "Yes he is," Tsunomon agreed as Matt patted the little horned ball.  
  
          "Aww come on guys, you're embarrassing me," he objected.  
  
          "Where are the others?" Amber asked, quickly changing the subject.  
  
          "Izzy, Mimi, Palmon, Tentomon, and Patamon are in the living room. We don't know where Tai and the others are," TK explained.  
  
          "I'm sure my father will find them. Or maybe they'll even find this place themselves," Amber assured them.  
  
          "I don't think so, Amber. If Gennai hadn't shown us where to go, we would never have known you lived here," Tsunomon argued politely.  
  
          "I'll explain to you all why that is once I greet my other guests."  
  
          "I'm coming too," Matt told her, starting to get out of bed. A dull ache started in his stomach, but he did his best to ignore it. TK and Tsunomon looked concerned, but he waved them off. "I'm all right."  
  
          "You sure?" TK asked quietly. Matt pulled his hat down gently over his eyes, and TK laughed.  
  
          "I'm sure." Amber gave him a look, but decided to let him try. Taking slow, shaky steps, Matt made his way to the door. Amber was by his side all the way down the hall, TK and Tsunomon right behind them. Izzy, Mimi, Palmon, and Tentomon turned when they came into the room. Patamon flapped over to TK, and the two talked in hushed tones for a moment.  
  
          "Matt!" Mimi cried, rushing over to him. She hugged him tight, and he winced and nearly fell down. Amber caught his arm, and Mimi immediately stepped back, hands over her mouth as she blushed. "Sorry."  
  
          "It's okay, Mimi," Matt told her, sitting down on the couch. Izzy noted how pale he was, and that his breathing was a little sharp.  
  
          "Are you all right?" he wondered  
  
          "What happened to you?" Tentomon added.  
  
          "Piedmon happened." They sat there for a solid half-hour as Matt and Amber related to the others what had occurred.  
  
          "You're Gennai's daughter?" Mimi asked in shock. "Wow, I never thought of you as the daddy-type," she continued, facing the old man.  
  
          "Quite all right, Mimi," he replied.  
  
          "This is prodigious!" Izzy exclaimed. "Now we have another digimon to help us fight Piedmon."  
  
          "But I'm not a digimon, I'm a digi-human. I don't think I can digivolve like the digimon," Amber argued.  
  
          "Have you ever tried?" Patamon asked seriously.  
  
          "The only way a digimon can digivolve is by being exposed to a digivice. When you Digi-destined left for your world, no digimon could be exposed to your digivices. Besides, I'm still part-human."  
  
"Izzy's just excited because now he can work you into his theories about defeating Piedmon," Tentomon explained, patting her with a claw.  
  
"They aren't theories. My last plan would've worked, but Piedmon cheated," the computer-whiz explained. Matt put his hand on top of Amber's, and she smiled shyly.  
  
          "If you still want to fight with us, then you're welcome to. Right now we need all the help we can get."  
  
          "Yes, especially since Piedmon destroyed our digimon allies," Palmon reminded the others. They were all silent as they remembered how Meramon, Friggimon, Andromon, Unimon, Elecmon, and even Ogremon had all bravely fought Piedmon. But the Mega digimon had been too powerful, and he'd destroyed them one by one. A tear rolled down Amber's cheek as she thought of all the digimon who'd lost their lives trying to defeat the Dark Masters.  
  
          "We cannot allow this to continue, Father," she said to Gennai, who sighed and nodded.  
  
          "Even if I told you not to fight, you would anyway." He walked out the front door, and Amber followed. The Digi-destined watched them go.  
  
          "She's a nice girl," Mimi said once Amber had left.  
  
          "Yeah, she is," Matt agreed, looking down at the floor. Meanwhile, Amber had caught up with her father, and she sat down beside him.  
  
          "I still worry about you, Amber. You're all I have."  
  
          "You've trained me well, Father. My whole life I grew up hearing about the heroic tales of the Digi-destined. This is my chance to realize a dream. I promise that I'll come back."  
  
          "Oh, I'm certain you'll survive the battle with Piedmon. I'm just a little worried about what'll happen after the battle."  
  
          "What do you mean?" Now Amber was a little confused. If her father wasn't worried about the upcoming fight, what could be troubling him?  
  
          "You like young Matt, don't you?" His question caught her slightly off-guard, and it took a moment for her to answer.  
  
          "He intrigues me, and puzzles me at the same time. He has such a vital role in the group, and yet he's the only one who doesn't see it."  
  
          "So what is his role, Amber?" Gennai asked point-blank.  
  
          "Matt possesses the instinct to be a leader, the tenderness and worry about people's safety, the ability to be everyone's friend, and also the capability to stand on his own."  
  
          "So he has many roles?"  
  
          "I guess you can look at it that way. But what does that have to do with me?" Gennai smiled and took her hand.  
  
"After Piedmon is defeated, the Digi-destined will have an even tougher digimon to face." He then began walking off into the forest.  
  
 "Where are you going, Father?"  
  
          "To find the other children. You can't fight Piedmon with only half the Digi-destined. I'll be back soon!" he called, vanishing into the dense leaves. A sound behind her made Amber whirl around, claws extended, but she instantly relaxed when she saw that it was only Tsunomon and Matt.  
  
          "We didn't mean to startle you," Matt apologized as she stood up.  
  
          "What are you doing out here? You should be inside, resting."  
  
          "That's what I told him, but he never listens to me," Tsunomon complained, poking Matt's leg with his horn.  
  
          "Where's your father?" the blonde boy wondered.  
  
          "Going to find your friends. Come on, let's get back to the others. I'm sure they're won-" A duo of Garbagemon silenced Amber's statement, and she immediately prepared for action. Her claws and fangs grew out, and her eyes were turning golden-yellow. Tsunomon stood of front of Matt, staring darkly at their enemies.  
  
          "Well lookee here," the first Garbagemon said to his partner. "Three for the price of one."  
  
          "Sorry, no deals today," Amber told them, holding a fireball in her hands. "Fire blast!" she yelled, unleashing her attack. It caught the first Garbagemon and slammed him into a tree, but the second went after Tsunomon and Matt.  
  
          "Tsunomon, digivolve!" Matt told him.  
  
          "You got it. Tsunomon digivolve to… Gabumon! Blue Blaster!" Unleashing his attack, Gabumon knocked the other Garbagemon away. The two evil digimon, seeing that they were outmatched, hopped quickly into the forest. Amber returned to her normal appearance, and Gabumon smiled.  
  
          "Nice work, Gabumon," Matt cheered, pumping his fist into the air. A moment later though, he sat down in pain as his stomach muscles rebelled at his overuse of them.  
  
          "Matt, are you okay?" Amber asked, a worried look crossing her face as she sat beside him.  
  
          "I will be in a minute," he assured her. Gabumon patted his shoulder.  
  
          "Come my friend, you need rest. I suggest we head back to Amber's house to wait for the others."  
  
          "I guess you're right," Matt agreed as Amber and Gabumon pulled him to his feet. "Once Tai and the others get here, we'll probably be going after Piedmon again."  
  
          "Right. So you need to take it easy for now," the dark-haired girl reminded him, pulling him gently back towards her house. With Gabumon at his side, he followed her through the woods back to the other Digi- destined.   


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Night was fast approaching, and Tai knew that soon they would have to give up the search for Matt. "I don't understand. That trail should've led us right to him," Sora sighed, putting her head in her hands.  
  
          "I keep telling you that something probably walked off with him. There are still a lot of digimon that are loyal to Piedmon," Joe told her.  
  
          "But we can't give up hope!" Kari insisted as she and Gatomon stared off into the trees. While most had disappeared when Puppetmon had been destroyed, this section of the forest seemed undisturbed.  
  
          "Kari's right, we can't stop searching," Agumon agreed.  
  
          "But Agumon, where do we even start looking? For all we know, Piedmon has Matt," Tai replied softly, thinking back to what had happened on Spiral Mountain. "It's all my fault. I was always getting into fights with him, and all he really wanted was to make sure TK was all right. Now that Kari's here, I see where he's coming from. And then when it mattered most, he saved me. If we don't find him, I'll never forgive myself."  
  
          "Don't worry so much, Tai. It's not healthy," Gennai stated as he walked up next to him.  
  
          "Gennai!" everyone said in shock.  
  
          "Who were you expecting? Piedmon? But that's not important right now. Your other friends are waiting for you, so follow me."  
  
          "You found Mimi, Izzy, and TK?" Sora wondered.  
  
          "Why yes. They were out in the middle of these woods, much the same as you are. Come on, we'd better hurry. Night's not exactly the safest time to be out, you know."  
  
          "Wait Gennai, have you seen Matt?" Biyomon questioned as they grabbed their stuff and began following the small man.  
  
          "Of course I've seen him."  
  
          "You have? That's great!" Gomamon cheered.  
  
          "Is he all right?" Gatomon wondered.  
  
          "He had quite a nasty run-in with Piedmon, but he seems fine." Tai breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
          "Do the others know he's all right?" Joe inquired.  
  
          "The other Digi-destined are with him. Ah, here we are." Gennai led them to a large rock wall with a small cave entrance. He walked right through without a second thought, but Tai and the others paused.  
  
          "How will we ever fit through that?" he asked.  
  
          "Maybe we could crawl through," Kari suggested. Suddenly the "rock" disappeared, leaving a small house with its door open. Mimi and Izzy were standing just inside.  
  
          "Come on in everyone," Izzy told them. Once inside, Mimi offered them food and drinks, then they all went into the blue living room. A small fire was already blazing in the fireplace. Lying in front of the fire was TK, Matt, and a girl about Matt's age.  
  
          "Matt!" Tai yelled as the blonde boy carefully sat up.  
  
          "Hey Tai. I guess Gennai found you guys."  
  
          "Are we glad to see you," Sora told him, sitting beside Mimi on the couch. Joe put down his bag and looked Matt over for a minute or so.  
  
          "I thought Piedmon got you with his sword?"  
  
          "He did."  
  
          "Then why isn't your shirt a bloody mess?"  
  
          "That's due to this wonderful invention of Gennai's," Izzy spoke up. They all turned to see him holding a red laptop similar to his own. "The program on here allows digital matter to be formed into an object or food. The technology is really quite advanced. Watch this." He typed in "soccer ball", and one instantly appeared beside him. "And if you made a mistake, all you do is hit delete, and whatever you just created goes back to being digibytes." The ball vanished as he said this.  
  
          "Wow, that's handy. Can it create new digimon?" Tai wondered.  
  
          "Sorry, but the program isn't designed to create living things," Gennai confessed as Izzy put the laptop down. Kari then turned to the girl at Matt's side. She sat in front of her and smiled sweetly.  
  
          "My name's Kari. What's yours?"  
  
          "I'm Amber. Pleased to meet you, Kari."  
  
          "Are you a Digi-destined too?" Sora asked.  
  
          "No, I'm afraid I'm not. I'm Gennai's daughter."  
  
          "Daughter?" Joe finally spoke after a few minutes of silence.  
  
          "Her mother was a digimon who became human for a year," Matt explained as he stood up slowly.  
  
          "Cool. Where's your mother now? Maybe she can help us defeat Piedmon," Tai suggested. Amber looked at the floor for a moment. When she spoke next, her voice seemed smaller.  
  
          "My mother was killed by the Dark Masters years ago. But I can assure you that I will join in your fight against that killer clown." Kari hugged her, and Amber was momentarily surprised. But then she remembered that Kari was like that, and so hugged her back. Gatomon was staring at her strangely, and the brunette turned to face her. "What's wrong, Gatomon?" The cat digimon paused for a moment.  
  
          "You have a tail," she finally said. Amber's black tail rose off the floor and waved at her, and Gatomon smiled and waved her own tail.  
  
          "Why do you have a tail? That's a bit freaky," Tai stated. When Amber looked down in embarrassment, Matt defended her.  
  
          "Don't make fun of her. Her mother was Panthramon, a feline digimon, and the reason Amber has a tail is because of her."  
  
          "Matt, chill out. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings."  
  
          "If you two boys don't stop fighting, you'll never work out a plan to defeat Piedmon," Gennai spoke up. "Amber, I really must be getting back to the lake. I'll leave you to keep the Digi-destined from arguing." After Gennai left, Amber closed the door of the house and turned to face the others.  
  
          "So what happened on Spiral Mountain that stopped you from defeating the last Dark Master?" she asked. Tai and Izzy began explaining to her what happened. Matt sat down in a chair, hand over his stomach. He knew he should be taking it easy, but Piedmon was still out there.  
  
          "Are you all right?" Joe wondered, standing in front of him.  
  
          "I'm fine."  
  
          "You know, you really should be resting. If you keep exerting yourself, you might make it worse."  
  
          "Piedmon has to be stopped, and I'm not going to sit by and watch him destroy any more of our friends." He remembered how only a few weeks ago he'd broken off from the group to try and find his purpose in it. And when they'd finally gotten back together, they'd all watched as Piedmon struck down their digimon allies. With Primary Village tainted by evil, no one would be coming back until the last Dark Master was defeated. Suddenly, Amber whirled around to face the front door, and the digimon stood up as well.  
  
          "What's wrong?" TK wanted to know.  
  
          "Piedmon's coming. I can smell him a mile away," Agumon replied. Amber and Gatomon both hissed, and Tai went to the open window that was next to the door. Piedmon was coming through the trees, and Amber quickly shut the window.  
  
          "No one make a sound. My house has a shield around it that makes it look and feel like a rock, but I'm not willing to take any chances." She opened her laptop and typed in a few commands, and a picture of the outside of the house appeared on the screen. They all held their breath as the clown stopped right in front of the "rock" and looked around.  
  
          "Where could those blasted children have hidden themselves? Those Garbagemon said they'd seen a few near here," he was saying to himself.  
  
          "I say we go out there and challenge him right now," Tai whispered.  
  
          "No, stay here. We're safe as long as we're in the house," Amber told him. She wanted to go out there and fight Piedmon as well, but she knew that they were unprepared and would lose. Finally Piedmon walked back towards Spiral Mountain, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
          "That was too close," Mimi stated, hugging her knees to her chest. Palmon patted her hand, then gave her a hug.  
  
          "Might I suggest we retire for the night and come up with a suitable plan of attack in the morning?" Izzy said to them.  
  
          "Izzy, why can't you just say we all need sleep?" Tentomon demanded. Everyone laughed as Izzy blushed.  
  
          "Because he's Izzy," Tai pointed out as he yawned and stretched. "But sleep sounds good right now."  
  
          "I'll show you to your rooms," Amber offered, leading them down the yellow hallway. They passed the room where Matt had stayed, and then they reached the end. A wooden door was on either side of the hallway, and another was set into the third wall. "Sora, Mimi, and Kari, you three can stay in here." When she opened the door, Mimi squealed in delight when she saw the pink walls, rug, and sheets on the beds.  
  
          "I really must have the name of your home decorator." Sora and Kari giggled as they shut the door behind them. The next room was done in green, and the boys all chose a bed to crash on.  
  
          "Where are you staying, Amber?" Matt wondered.  
  
          "My room is the one at the end of the hall. If anyone needs anything, I'll be five feet away. Goodnight." She closed the door, and Tai poked Matt in the ribs a few times.  
  
          "Gee Matt, I would've thought you liked blondes."  
  
          "What are you talking about, Tai?"  
  
          "Your girlfriend. She's got dark hair, and I thought you liked blondes better." Matt blushed, and Izzy, TK, and Joe snickered.  
  
          "She's not my girlfriend. We just spent a lot of time talking before any of you guys got here."  
  
          "She's pretty," TK spoke up.  
  
          "Oh don't worry about it, Matt. Joe likes Mi-" Gomamon started to say before Joe clamped a hand over his mouth.  
  
          "I do not like her!" he yelled, shaking the red-haired digimon.  
  
          "Why don't we all try and get some sleep," Gabumon suggested.          "Good idea, I'm exhausted," Agumon agreed as he and Tai rolled over and fell asleep. Soon everyone else was asleep, all except for TK and Matt. The younger boy got out of bed and walked over to Matt, who was staring up at the ceiling.  
  
          "Something wrong, TK?"  
  
          "Matt, are you gonna die?" he asked softly.  
  
          "What? No, of course not. Why would you think that?" He reached down, picked up his little brother, and sat him on his lap.  
  
          "Because Joe and them kept saying that you were losing a lot of blood, and if you didn't get help, you might die."  
  
          "Amber helped me. I won't die, TK. I promise you."  
  
"How did she help you? It looked like you were hurt real bad." Matt thought for a moment and then lifted up his shirt to show TK the bandage. Then he pulled off the tape that held it in place and peeled it back. The gash on his stomach had been sewn shut with black thread, but a few of the stitches had pulled loose. "You should get those fixed."  
  
"I will TK, don't worry. Maybe in the morning I'll ask Amber. But now I think it's time for you to go to sleep."  
  
          "Just between you and me, I think Amber likes you," TK whispered before he left. Matt shook his head and lay back down for a few minutes. TK's words and images of Amber all jumbled together in his head as he tried to sort things out. 'She doesn't like me, does she? Amber's a Healer, and she was just doing her job.' But then the images from that afternoon came back, and he recalled how she had blushed when he took her hand. 'But I'm sure that's just because I was the first human her age she ever met. She probably has more in common with Joe anyway, seeing as how they both like to help people.' But a nagging thought was still pressing against his mind, so he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep.  
  
          *                                               *                                               *  
  
   
  
Amber was fast asleep, but the sound of her door opening forced her to awaken instantly. She sat up and saw Matt standing just outside her room, and she motioned him over. "What's wrong?" she asked as he sat down next to her on the double bed.  
  
          "I like you," he told her softly, almost whispering it.  
  
          "What?" she asked, not quite sure what was happening.  
  
          "I like you," he repeated. "You're pretty, caring, and a great fighter."  
  
          "Matt, I don't understand. We barely know each other."  
  
          "Just answer me one question: Do you like me?" Amber opened her mouth to say "no", but stopped halfway. Here was Matt, carrier of the Crest of Friendship, asking her if she liked him. Matt with the caring blue eyes, rebellious nature, and a desire to protect his brother and friends. And he was asking her if she liked him? Did she, daughter of Gennai and Panthramon, like him? Did Amber, the digimon Healer, like Matt? Did she with the tail, claws, and fireball attack really like him?  
  
          "Yes. I like you, Matt." They both smiled and blushed, and Amber's tail curled around his waist.  
  
          "Tai probably won't stop teasing me when I tell him."  
  
          "Well, if you want to get him back, just remember that he has a crush on Sora," she told him.  
  
          "He does?"  
  
          "It's so obvious, but neither one will admit it for a long time." Matt snickered as he thought back to all the times that Tai had paired himself with Sora. He'd always assumed it was because they were old friends. "So is that the only reason you came in here? To tell me you like me?" Amber wondered. Matt shook his head and lifted up his shirt to show her the pulled stitches. She ran her ran lightly over them, and he winced. "I told you to take it easy. Getting stitches hurts, and it's easier if you're asleep first."  
  
          "But then again, Matt never takes the easy route," Joe said from the doorway. "I had to go to the bathroom, and noticed he wasn't in his bed."  
  
          "Bathroom's at the other end of the hall. When you're done, I'm going to need your help," the brunette girl replied. Nodding, Joe walked back down the hall and returned a few minutes later.  
  
          "What can I do?"  
  
          "I need you to redo a few stitches. I'll hold him down."  
  
          "Sure. I was hoping you wouldn't make me do that. I'm not exactly the world's strongest guy." Amber giggled, but Matt swallowed nervously. He stared at the needle and black thread as Amber and Joe measured, cut, and tied it off. When they were ready, the blue-haired boy took a deep breath.  
  
          "You ready, Matt?"  
  
          "Sure," he lied. Amber made him lie down, and she put her hands firmly on his shoulders. Joe stuck the needle into his flesh, and Matt winced. Amber changed positions so his head was in her lap and she could wrap her arms around him if needed. As Joe continued sewing, Matt suddenly found himself holding Amber's hand. He couldn't remember grabbing onto it, but she didn't seem to mind. When at last the stitching was done, Joe rewrapped the wound and taped the bandages in place.  
  
          "And this time, take it easy," he ordered.  
  
          "Or else what?" Matt mock-challenged.  
  
          "Or I'll sucker-punch you," the soon-to-be-doctor sternly warned. Matt got the hint and nodded. Joe smiled and headed back to bed, and he was ready to follow, when Amber pushed him back down.  
  
          "I am not going to risk you pulling any more stitches. You're confined to bed until tomorrow afternoon."  
  
          "You want me to stay here?"  
  
          "Sure, why not?"  
  
          "Because this is your bed." Amber slid off the bed and curled up on the floor. With her hair spilling out around her and her tail lightly thumping the floor, she really did look like a big cat.  
  
          "See, problem solved."  
  
          "You don't have to sleep on the floor." She gave him a sideways glance and curled up. After a few minutes, Matt asked, "Do you think we'll be able to defeat Piedmon?"  
  
          "I hope so. With all the digimon working together, we stand a chance. It's the fight with Piedmon's boss that frightens me."  
  
          "His boss?"  
  
          "My father mentioned something about facing an even tougher digimon after we defeat Piedmon. If the Dark Masters were this bad, what can their boss be like?" Matt sighed and stared at the ceiling for a moment.  
  
          "Ever since we came here, it's been one battle after another. Mimi and Joe said Leomon thought that Devimon was a test. And I guess that would have made Myotismon a test too. Maybe we've just been tested so we'd be strong enough to defeat this boss digimon."  
  
          "I guess the only thing to do is wait and see," Amber stated.  
  
          "Looks like it."    
  
          "Goodnight Matt."  
  
          "Goodnight Amber."  
  
          "Is there room for one more?" Gabumon wondered as he sleepily trudged into the room.  
  
          "Did Joe wake you up?" Matt wondered.  
  
          "No, I woke up and saw that you weren't there, and Joe said you were in here." The furry digimon climbed onto the bed and curled up next to his human partner. "Goodnight Matt. Goodnight Amber."  
  
          "Goodnight Gabumon," the two teens replied, closing their eyes. The three of them were soon fast asleep.     


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
   
  
Kari and Gatomon opened their eyes as sunlight streamed in the high window. "Morning already? I feel like I just took a quick catnap," the digimon complained. Kari giggled quietly so as not to wake the other girls.  
  
          "Let's find Amber and see if there's anything for breakfast." Tiptoeing into the hall, they opened Amber's door and quickly shut it behind them. What they saw made them both start giggling. Amber was lying on the floor by the side of the bed, curled into a tight ball. Her tail was on the bed and lying across Matt's chest, and he had a small smile on his face. Gabumon was on Matt's other side, one hand on his friend's arm. One of Amber's eyes opened, and she stared at the two girls and smiled. Stretching like a true cat, she stood and walked over.  
  
          "Morning you two," she greeted.  
  
          "I hope we're not bothering you," Kari apologized.  
  
          "Of course not. Did you need something?"  
  
          "Food?" Gatomon replied, staring at the two boys on the bed.  
  
          "Sure. We'll just let them sleep a little longer." Amber led the way into the kitchen, where they were surprised to see Mimi, Sora, Biyomon, and Palmon pulling out pans and looking in the fridge.  
  
          "Oh, hey there," Mimi greeted them.  
  
          "I didn't think anyone would be up this early," Amber stated as she helped Sora start cracking some eggs in a bowl.  
  
          "We just thought we'd make breakfast since you're being so nice to us," Sora explained. Biyomon, Palmon, and Gatomon began mixing things together to make pancakes, and Kari helped Mimi cut and peel some fruit.  
  
          "So, did you all sleep well last night?"  
  
          "Yes Amber, those beds are so soft," Palmon told her.  
  
          "I just hope the boys slept as well as us," Biyomon added.  
  
          "Well, Matt and Gabumon certainly slept well," Gatomon said.  
  
          "How do you know that?" the pink bird asked her.  
  
          "Because they slept in Amber's bed," Kari added. When Mimi and Sora turned to look at their hostess, she turned beet-red.  
  
          "They slept in your room?" Mimi wondered. Amber wasn't sure, but she thought she detected a hint of resentment in her tone.  
  
          "Joe and I redid some of Matt's stitches, and I didn't want him moving too much after that. I'm sorry if I caused any problems."  
  
          "Problems? Why would that cause problems?" Sora questioned.  
  
          "Oh, well I just thought… That Mimi… Well…" At this, the other girls and digimon started giggling.  
  
          "Oh no, I don't like Matt," Mimi assured her between giggles. "Don't get me wrong, the boys in this group are sweet. They're just not my type."  
  
          "Besides, they're usually too busy complaining, fighting, or typing to take any notice of us," Palmon added with a huff.  
  
          "Except TK, of course," Kari was quick to point out.  
  
          "Oh, well that's a relief," Amber said. "For a second I was worried about starting a fight."  
  
          "Hey, if you can drag Matt out of his shell, be my guest," Mimi told her. At this, Amber gave her a sideways glance.  
  
          "Shell?"  
  
          "Matt keeps to himself, except when worrying about TK or fighting with Tai," Sora explained.  
  
          "He never tries to talk to anyone else," Biyomon added.  
  
          "I think he's just confused and worried, like the rest of us," Kari spoke up. "After all, we're fighting against the Dark Masters, and we've lost a lot of friends already." She was thinking specifically about the many Numamon who had been vaporized fighting Machinedramon. But when Wargreymon had defeated him, their friends had been avenged.  
  
          "I think he's weird," Gatomon chimed in.  
  
          "Why do you think he's weird?" Palmon asked her.  
  
          "He just is. He never says what's really on his mind, and he and Tai are usually too busy fighting to come up with a plan of attack."  
  
          "All boys are like that," Sora told her.  
  
          "Then humans in general are weird," the cat digimon said as she went back to making breakfast.  
  
          "Of course humans are weird. It's what makes them so different," Amber commented. Sora, Mimi, and Kari all looked at each other as their hostess sighed deeply and got out plates, cups, and silverware. By the time the boys woke up, breakfast was ready.  
  
          "FOOD!" they all shouted, diving at the table.  
  
          "Gross," Mimi complained as she watched them shovel the food into their mouths. Amber was giggling.  
  
          "Worse than a group of Numamon," she teased as the boys looked up at her with their mouths full. Tai suddenly realized one of them was missing.  
  
          "Where's Matt? I didn't see him or Gabumon in the bed."  
  
          "He's been confined to bed in Amber's room," Joe replied. Tai started snickering as Amber blushed. Sora walked up behind the goggled boy and hit him over the head.  
  
          "What'd you do that for, Sora?" he demanded.  
  
          "Because," she answered. Amber put together a plate of food for Matt and Gabumon, then walked into her room. Gabumon was awake and grinning, and he dug in eagerly to the food she gave him.  
  
          "Thanks Amber, I was starving!"  
  
          "You're welcome, Gabumon." Then she sat down on the bed and lightly tapped Matt with her tail. He stirred and opened his eyes, smiling when he saw her sitting there.  
  
          "Morning."  
  
          "Good morning, sleepyhead. How do you feel today?"  
  
          "I'm okay. Hungry though." She handed him his plate, and he ate some of it. She sat on the edge of the bed, arms around her knees, and watched him. After a few minutes he set the plate down and leaned against the pillows, returning her gaze. "What?"  
  
          "Nothing. I just like watching people." Gabumon paused with a pancake halfway to his mouth, decided it was time to leave, and headed for the kitchen where the others probably were. The other Digi-destined were sitting in the living room discussing strategy.  
  
          "All right, we have to come up with a few plans," Izzy was saying. "Just in case one doesn't work, we should have a few fallbacks."  
  
          "Why can't we all just attack Piedmon in one giant mass?" Tai asked.  
  
          "Yeah. All of us together could defeat him," Agumon agreed.  
  
          "We tried that last time, remember? He split into two," Gomamon reminded them. Gabumon sat down next to TK and Patamon, and offered his own idea for the final battle.  
  
          "Maybe if Amber helps us, and we attack quickly, Piedmon won't have time to split himself."  
  
          "That was one of my theories," Izzy explained. "And it would work even better if Amber could digivolve."  
  
          "But she's not sure that she can," Sora brought up.  
  
          "She's half-digimon," Tai argued.  
  
          "She's also half-human," Joe added as Izzy nodded.  
  
          "Right. But if she can digivolve, she must be exposed to one of our digivices. I doubt that will be a problem if she's coming with us, though."  
  
          "All right, but what's our back-up plan?" Tentomon wanted to know.  
  
          "Well, do you remember what happened last time we fought Piedmon? When Angemon digivolved to Magnaangemon?" All eyes centered on TK and Patamon, who both blushed.  
  
          "So maybe if I digivolve again, I could really help in defeating Piedmon?" Patamon asked.  
  
          "Yes. Magnaangemon is a powerful digimon, even at the ultimate level. We'll need his help to take out Piedmon," Izzy answered.  
  
          "Wow Patamon, you're gonna be a hero!" TK predicted.  
  
          "It's not that simple, TK," Izzy cautioned. "If Piedmon uses the energy from that more powerful digimon like he did last time, I'm not sure any of us could defeat him. And I'm worried that this other digimon might fight with Piedmon the next time we face him."  
  
          "But Piedmon is a Mega digimon. Is there anything more powerful than a Mega?" Mimi wondered.  
  
          "I don't know. Remember, we haven't been in the Digital World all that long, and there might be more powerful digimon out there that we don't know about. So far the Dark Masters are the most powerful digimon that we've seen, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there somewhere."  
  
          "If there's a digimon more powerful than Piedmon, that would have to be a pretty big digimon," Tai surmised. Izzy looked up from typing.  
  
          "Not really. Gatomon is a Champion, and she's the size of our rookies. And Pixiemon was tiny, but look how much power he had. And even among the Dark Masters, Puppetmon was our size, and he had as much power as Machinedramon. So you see Tai, size doesn't really matter."  
  
          "Wow, don't I feel special," Gatomon quipped as Kari giggled. TK suddenly realized that Gabumon was sitting there without Matt.  
  
          "Where's my brother?" he asked.  
  
          "He's with Amber. They looked like they needed some time alone."  
  
          "He's probably sitting there kissing her," Tai teased.  
  
          "And is there something wrong with kissing a girl?" Sora and Mimi asked in unison. Joe and Izzy both snickered as Tai put up his hands defensively. Kari and TK giggled as well.  
  
          "That's not what I meant. Of course there's nothing wrong with kissing a girl," the brown-haired boy said quickly.  
  
          "He's probably just jealous," Joe added.  
  
          "Yeah, well I don't see you with a girl either, Mr. Smarty- Pants."  
  
          "Don't pay any attention to him, Joe. Tai just hasn't grown up yet," Mimi stated as she leaned over and pecked the blue-haired boy on the cheek. He blushed, and Palmon and Gomamon giggled.  
  
          "Anyway, I've finished the calculations for our plan. Assuming Piedmon doesn't join up with that other digimon, we should be able to defeat him," Izzy changed the subject.  
  
          "And what if that other digimon does come?" Amber wanted to know as she walked in and leaned on the couch.  
  
          "I don't know," the computer expert confessed. "I don't have enough data on him to work him into the equations. If he does show up, we'll have to think on our feet."  
  
          "Which I'm assuming is not one of Tai's strong points," the cat- girl teased as Tai put up his hands in a gesture of surrender.  
  
          "So when do we attack?" TK and Kari wondered.  
  
          "We shouldn't waste any more time. The longer we wait, the stronger Piedmon becomes. I say we attack tonight," Izzy suggested.  
  
          "Sounds like a good idea to me," Tai agreed. Everyone nodded, including Amber. But she couldn't help but worry about Matt. Gennai had warned her about Piedmon's boss, and she wasn't sure what would happen during their fight with him. But she knew that Matt would go with his friends, and now she had pledged to help as well. All that she could do now was battle and hope for the best. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6   
  
The group walked through the forest and began the long trek up Infinity Mountain. All the digimon were on alert, and Amber's eyes shifted nervously at the slightest sound. Gabumon stayed by Matt's side, hoping that the climb wouldn't take too much out of his friend. "Matt-" he began.  
  
          "Don't worry about me, Gabumon. I'll be okay."  
  
          "We can stop if you want," Sora offered.  
  
          "Nah, that's all right. The faster we reach the top, the faster we defeat Piedmon and go home."  
  
          "Gee Matt, are you sure you're all right? I think that's the first time you've agreed with my plan," Tai teased as the blonde blushed a little. But all chatter stopped when they reached the summit and saw Piedmon standing there, waiting for them it seemed.  
  
          "Ah, so good of you to drop by, Digi-destined. I'm dreadfully sorry our party last time was cut so painfully short." He started laughing, and the kids all looked at their partners and nodded.  
  
          "Agumon warp digi-volve to… Wargreymon!"  
  
          "Gabumon warp digi-volve to… Metalgarrurumon!"  
  
          "Biyomon digi-volve to… Birdramon! Birdramon digi-volve to… Garudamon!"  
  
          "Gomamon digi-volve to… Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon digi-volve to… Zudomon!"  
  
          "Palmon digi-volve to… Togemon! Togemon digi-volve to… Lillymon!"  
  
          "Tentomon digi-volve to… Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon digi-volve to… Megakabuterimon!"  
  
          "Patamon digi-volve to... Angemon!"  
  
          "Gatomon digi-volve to… Angewomon!" Piedmon merely smiled and stared at the two Megas, five Ulitimates, and one Champion. Then his gaze shifted to Amber, and his smile widened.  
  
          "Well, if it isn't Panthramon's little baby. You should've stayed with your father, little girl."  
  
          "We'll see about that," she retorted. "Fireball!" she yelled, launching her attack as the others joined her.  
  
          "Wing Blade!"  
  
          "Volpin's Hammer!"  
  
          "Flower Cannon!"  
  
          "Horn Buster!"  
  
          "Celestial Arrow!"  
  
          "Hand of Fate!"  
  
          "Terra Force!"  
  
          "Ice Wolf Claw!" The attacks struck Piedmon, and he flinched slightly. Izzy's digivice began beeping, and he stuck it into his computer.  
  
          "Wow, look at this!" he exclaimed.  
  
          "What is it?" Tai wondered, keeping an eye on the battle as well.  
  
          "Amber's attack is Champion level. That means that if she can digi-volve, she'll be an Ultimate at the next level."  
  
          "I still think you're putting too much pressure on her," Sora chided.  
  
          "Maybe, but look at how well she fights," Mimi pointed out. As they watched, the nimble girl leapt out of the way of Piedmon's attack.  
  
          "Trump Swords!" One struck Lillymon, but she recovered and buzzed right over his head.  
  
          "Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon shouted, blasting the clown with her powerful attack. He staggered for a moment, then grinned.  
  
          "Clown Trick!" Pies that had lit fuses suddenly appeared in his hands, and he hurled them at the digimon. Garudamon and Lillymon went down, followed by Zudomon. Megakabuterimon was down next, and Angewomon fell as well. "Trump Swords!" Metalgarrurumon and Wargreymon hit the ground, and Amber was lying on her side as well.  
  
          "Metalgarrurumon! Amber!" Matt shouted as he made a move to help them. Tai caught the other boy around the waist, dragging him to the ground where pain kept the blonde from moving.  
  
          "Angemon is still up," Kari realized. Piedmon locked eyes with the angel digimon, but neither moved.  
  
          "You don't have the power to defeat me!" the clown challenged.  
  
          "I have all the power I need," Angemon replied calmly. He looked at TK, who was standing over his brother. The young boy looked at all the fallen digimon, then back up at his partner.  
  
          "You're our last hope!" he shouted. "I believe in you, Angemon!" And then it happened like before. Angemon began glowing brightly, and then he started to digi-volve.  
  
          "Angemon digi-volve to... Magnaangemon." With his six wings flared out and his rod clutched in his hands, Magnaangemon made a very imposing figure, and Piedmon actually took a step back.  
  
          "You're not leaving until this fight is over," the purple-clad digimon said. Piedmon pulled out his swords.  
  
          "Very well. Trump Swords!" Magnaangemon hovered there as the swords bounced off his armor and the two wings that were folded across his chest. TK stood there, hands clasped together like he was praying.  
  
          "Your reign of terror is over, Piedmon. I won't let you destroy the Digital World any more than you have."  
  
          "And just how to you plan on doing that? You're only an Ultimate."  
  
          "I have the power of Light behind me, while you serve the power of Darkness. You won't defeat me as long as there is good in the world."  
  
          "We'll just see about that. Clown Trick!" Piedmon pulled out a white handkerchief, but Magnaangemon only let him get that far.  
  
          "Gate of Destiny!" A large golden circle appeared behind him, and when it opened, it began sucking Piedmon into it. The Dark Master shouted in terror as he was pulled into the gate.  
  
          "This cannot be!" And then the gate closed, and he was gone.  
  
          "You did it, Magnaangemon!" TK shouted in triumph as the other digimon picked themselves up. Angewomon made sure Amber was all right.          "I'll be okay," she assured her. Just then, the mountain began shaking, and everyone was thrown off their feet.  
  
          "What's happening?" Tai demanded.  
  
          "I think another digimon is coming. Our digivices are going crazy!" Izzy yelled as they all began glowing. Even their crests and tags were lighting up like fireworks on the fourth of July. Sora then yelled:  
  
          "Look at that!" Everyone turned to see a gigantic digimon appearing out of thin air as the sky darkened and began to swirl with color. This new digimon seemed to be a dark body attached to a large… Device. This device had claws coming from the corners and sides, and everyone backed up.  
  
          "Who is that guy?" Tai wanted to know.  
  
          "I am Apocalymon, the most evilest of evil digimon."  
  
          "What do you want?" Mimi demanded, fists at her side.   
  
          "I am here to destroy you, Digi-destined."  
  
          "Sorry pal, no one's destroying us today!" Joe yelled.  
  
          "We shall see about that. Prepare for the fight of your lives!" Apocalymon shouted as the Digi-destined and their digimon prepared for another battle. They all sensed that this one would be a bit different. 


	7. Chapter 7

 Chapter 7  
  
   
  
          "You don't scare me, pal!" Tai informed the giant digimon. Wargreymon hovered over his partner, and the other Digi-destined gathered together. Amber and Joe pulled Matt to his feet, and the digi-human stood next to her new friends.  
  
          "You might have defeated Piedmon and the other Dark Masters, but I am more powerful than all of them. I hold within me the power of all evil digimon. There is no way you can defeat me."  
  
          "We'll just see about that," Sora replied.  
  
          "River of Power!" Apocalymon shouted as one of his many tentacles formed into the head of Metalseadramon. The former Dark Master's attack hit Zudomon full on, but the large digimon refused to go down.  
  
          "Volpin's hammer!" His attack raced towards Apocalymon, but the evil digimon unleashed yet another attack.  
  
          "Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon's whip-like attack hit Zudomon, and then Lillymon when she went to help him.  
  
          "He's got the powers of all the digimon we've ever beaten," Izzy told them, typing furiously on his laptop. "It appears he's somehow integrated their powers into his own body. He can use any attack at any time."  
  
          "So what can we do?" Joe demanded.  
  
          "I don't know. This completely throws off all of my theories about digimon," the redhead answered.  
  
          "Don't worry everyone, we'll protect you," Garudamon promised, hovering in front of the Digi-destined. The others gathered around her.  
  
          "Fools!" Apocalymon shouted. "I have yet to show you my true power. Reverse digi-volve!" The claws that were attached to the upside-down pyramid device suddenly shot out and snared all the digimon.  
  
          "Mimi!" Lillymon cried, pushing her partner out of the way as a claw ensnared the plant-like digimon. One claw even managed to snag Amber, and she screamed as it closed around her. One by one the claws let the digimon go, only now they were in their Rookie states, except for Gatomon. Amber was seemingly unaffected, though she appeared a bit dazed.  
  
          "What happened?" Tai asked Agumon.  
  
          "He shrank us back to Rookies!" the dino digimon exclaimed.  
  
          "But can't you guys just digi-volve again?" Kari asked.  
  
          "Of course we can. We just need food," Biyomon told her.  
  
          "Well, there isn't any food here right now," Sora reminded them.  
  
          "Besides, the fate of both our worlds is at stake. You guys can digi-volve. All you need is the power of our crests," Tai stated.  
  
          "That's right. If you believe in yourselves, you can digi-volve," Matt added. All the digimon nodded.  
  
          "Let's do it!" they shouted.  
  
          "Everyone get your crests and tags ready!" Tai told the others.  
  
          "Oh no you don't," Apocalymon said. "Death Claw!" Arms that looked like Devimon's came shooting out from his body, yanking the crests and tags away from the Digi-destined. "Lose something?" the evil digimon wondered as he vaporized the devices right in front of their faces! "Next time, always save the receipts."  
  
          "Our crests!" Mimi wailed.  
  
          "Now we'll never beat him!" Joe whined.  
  
          "Izzy, we could use a plan right now," Tai yelled.  
  
          "I wish I had one."  
  
          "Wonderful. I'll use these children's fears against them. Soon they won't be able to complain at all." Waving his hands, Apocalymon started chuckling to himself. Suddenly Joe looked down at his feet and realized they were dematerializing!  
  
          "AAAHH!" he screamed as the others looked over.  
  
          "What's going on?" Amber demanded, looking down at her own legs. To her horror, she saw that they were vanishing as well.  
  
          "We're being converted into data bytes. Fascinating!" Izzy exclaimed.  
  
          "Fascinating is not the word I'd choose!" Tentomon argued as he and the other digimon began to be erased as well.  
  
          "Tai!" Agumon called out as he completely disappeared.  
  
          "Agumon! Kari!" the brunette boy yelled as his sister and TK vanished.  
  
          "TK!" Matt screamed as everyone was slowly turned into tiny bits of data. Soon, none of them were left in the dark sky. They found themselves in a land of white, where numbers raced by at incredible speeds.  
  
          "Where are we?" Sora wondered.  
  
          "We've become bits of data in a data stream. This is a remarkable breakthrough," Izzy explained.  
  
          "That's great, Izzy. But how do we get back?" Tai asked.  
  
          "I'm not sure."  
  
          "We're doomed," Joe prophesied.  
  
          "I can't believe Apocalymon beat us," Kari said forlornly.  
  
          "You better drop that attitude, Kari. We're not beaten yet," Gatomon told her, a determined look in her eyes.  
  
          "But there's no way out of here," Palmon reminded her.  
  
          "There has to be a way out," Amber stated.  
  
          "Right. We just have to find it," Tai added.  
  
          "But Tai, what do we do once we get back? Apocalymon took our crests. We can't beat him without them," Matt pointed out.  
  
          "So we're stuck here?" Mimi asked softly.  
  
          "Looks that way," Gomamon replied.  
  
          "No, I refuse to give up! We might not have our tags and crests, but we do have each other," Tai reminded them.  
  
          "And we've faced a lot of evil digimon and still come out on top," Agumon brought up.  
  
          "That was because we all worked as a team. No one person can make it on their own," Gabumon said as he looked right at Matt.  
  
          "We've got to have hope," TK told them. "When Matt got hurt and fell down the mountain, all I could do was hope that he was all right. And when Magnaangemon took on Piedmon, I was hoping that he would beat him." Matt patted his younger brother's head and smiled.  
  
          "I think you've got enough hope for everyone here," he teased.  
  
          "I know I have enough light for everyone. When I first got sick here, I wasn't sure what was gonna happen. But I knew that Tai and you guys wouldn't want me to be sick, and that was when the light came and made me feel better. So my light is the light of everyone else!" Kari exclaimed.  
  
          "That's the spirit, Kari!" Gatomon cheered. Suddenly, Kari gasped as a faint pink glow appeared beneath her shirt. It was in the shape of her crest!  
  
          "Kari, your crest! How did you get it back?" Tai wondered.  
  
          "But it's not my crest. I just knew that in my heart, my light is the light of all of the Digi-destined."  
  
          "So maybe I do have enough hope for everyone!" TK said. When he looked down, he saw that a golden light in the shape of his crest was glowing directly over his heart.  
  
          "That's it! We don't need the crests and tags to tell us who we are. We had these traits from the very beginning. The crests are just a physical representation of our own inner thoughts!" Izzy concluded.  
  
          "So that means you can use the power inside of you to help the digimon digi-volve," Amber realized.  
  
          "But it's more than that. Our crests stem from the feelings we get from everyone else. Like the friendship I get from all of you," Matt stated as his inner crest began glowing a brilliant blue.  
  
          "And my sincerity is from everyone too!" Mimi looked down after she said that to see a green crest glowing beneath her clothes.  
  
          "And my love is the love from everyone," Sora said as her red crest lit up. Joe looked around at his friends.  
  
          "And I'm reliable because everyone here is reliable." His white crest began glowing brightly.  
  
          "So my knowledge is greater because of everyone's knowledge," Izzy noted as his purple crest lit up brightly.  
  
          "And everyone's courage is what makes me so brave!" Tai looked down to see that his orange crest was glowing along with the others.  
  
          "We have the power within us!" the Digi-destined shouted. Suddenly:  
  
          "Agumon warp digi-volve to… Wargreymon!"  
  
          "Gabumon warp digi-volve to… Metalgarrurumon!"  
  
          "Biyomon digi-volve to… Birdramon! Birdramon digi-volve to… Garudamon!"  
  
          "Gomamon digi-volve to… Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon digi-volve to… Zudomon!"  
  
          "Palmon digi-volve to… Togemon! Togemon digi-volve to… Lillymon!"  
  
          "Tentomon digi-volve to… Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon digi-volve to… Megakabuterimon!"  
  
          "Patamon digi-volve to... Angemon! Angemon digi-volve to… Magnaangemon!"  
  
          "Gatomon digi-volve to… Angewomon!" When all the digimon were fully digi-volved, Tai went into a fighting pose.  
  
          "Now let's get back there and defeat Apocalymon once and for all!" At his words, the white space of the data stream shattered, and they found themselves once again facing Apocalymon.  
  
          "How can this be? You should have been destroyed!" he yelled.  
  
          "Sorry, but we're not that easy to get rid of!" Matt shot back, sitting astride Metalgarrurumon. The others climbed onto their digimon as well. Amber shifted herself into battle mode.  
  
          "Attack!" the Digi-destined shouted together as everyone charged forward towards the evil digimon.  
  
          "You won't defeat me! Death Claw!"  
  
          "Stop those arms of his! We have to attack his body!" Izzy shouted.  
  
          "Wing Blade!" Garudamon yelled as her attack vaporized two of the Devimon-like arms. Lillymon and Zudomon were right behind her.  
  
          "Flower Cannon!"  
  
          "Volpin's Hammer!"  
  
          "We'll attack Apocalymon's body," Tai told the others. Suddenly, one of the Death Claws came right at him!  
  
          "TAI!" Matt yelled as Metalgarrurumon tried to get to him.  
  
          "Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon's attack shattered the arm before it got too close to Tai and Wargreymon.  
  
          "We'll protect you guys!" TK called.  
  
          "Save some for us!" Izzy teased.  
  
          "Horn Buster!"  
  
          "Matt, on the count of three, we attack together!" Tai ordered.  
  
          "Right!"  
  
          "1, 2, 3!"  
  
          "Terra Force!"  
  
          "Metal Wolf Claw!" The two powerful attacks raced towards Apocalymon, but he merely laughed.  
  
          "Clown Trick! Puppet Pummel!" Piedmon and Puppetmon's attacks collided with Wargreymon and Metalgarrurumon's. Everyone covered their eyes as the light exploded around them.  
  
          "We need everyone to attack at once!" Matt realized.  
  
          "No problem. You can count on us," Joe assured him. Amber took a step back, making room for the more powerful digimon.  
  
          "Amber, we need you too," Tai told her.  
  
          "Tai, my attack won't even make a dent. He's too powerful for me," she replied. All the Digi-destined turned to face her.  
  
          "Amber, we need everyone's help," Sora argued gently.  
  
          "You've come this far, you can't quit now," Matt said.  
  
          "We believe in you, Amber. Please help us," Kari whispered.  
  
          "But I'm only at the Champion level. How-"  
  
          "Just hope for the best," TK pleaded. The other digimon nodded at her, and Amber felt confidence welling up inside her. Here was the most evil of all the evil digimon, the one who had controlled the Dark Masters. Piedmon had killed her mother, and many of her friends as well. If she couldn't have revenge on him, she would take it out on Piedmon's master.  
  
          "Are you with us, Amber?" Tai wondered.  
  
          "All the way," she replied.  
  
          "ATTACK!" the Digi-destined shouted together.  
  
          "Horn Buster!"  
  
          "Flower Cannon!"  
  
          "Wing Blade!"  
  
          "Volpin's Hammer!"  
  
          "Gate of Destiny!"  
  
          "Heaven's Charm!"  
  
          "Terra Force!"  
  
          "Ice Wolf Claw!" Amber closed her eyes and concentrated on the spark within her, the power that gave rise to her attacks. Suddenly she flashed on the first time seeing the Digi-destined, and then meeting Matt. She remembered all those lessons with her father, and her mother too. She fought back tears at the memory of her mother's death, and how the Dark Masters had almost destroyed the Digital World. Apocalymon would not get that chance, no matter what the cost. Just then, Izzy stared down at his digivice, which was glowing and shaking.  
  
          "Tai-" he managed to yell before light shot from their digivices and enveloped Amber. She gasped as she felt the power, and heard her mother's voice calling to her from across the years.  
  
          "You are a digimon, my daughter. Be proud of who you are and what you can do. And someday, you too will know the power of digi-volving." Then as everyone watched, Amber began to digi-volve!  
  
          "Amber digi-volve to…" She dropped to all fours as her arms and legs thickened and grew larger. Claws sprouted on her back legs too, while black fur covered her body. Red fur grew in zigzag patterns like small lightning bolts, and two red, bat-like wings erupted from her back. Her tail flailed angrily, and she let out a loud roar. "Hell Cat!"  
  
          "What is that?" Joe demanded.  
  
          "I think… I think that's Amber Ultimate form," Matt answered. The newly-formed Ultimate unleashed her attack to join with the others.  
  
          "Inferno Fury!" A tornado of fire shot from her mouth and twisted its way towards Apocalymon.  
  
          "Prodigious!" Izzy exclaimed. The nine attacks struck Apocalymon full force, and he cried out in pain. But as he started to vaporize, he merely smiled. That worried the Digi-destined.  
  
          "You foolish children. Think you've beaten me? Not by a long shot. Now it's time to unleash my full power. Total Annihilation!" A bright light formed where Apocalymon had once been, and the light began expanding.  
  
          "He'll destroy the Digital World!" Izzy realized.  
  
          "Not to mention ours!" Mimi cried.  
  
          "No, I won't let that happen!" Tai argued. He focused on his inner courage, hoping that his crest might hold the answer. The digimon all looked at the Digi-destined.  
  
          "It's all up to them now," Hell Cat told the two angels.  
  
          "If anyone can do it, they can," Angewomon brought up. One by one, each Digi-destined focused on the feelings of their crest. Their digivices began glowing, and beams of light shot from them and encased the ever-growing ball of explosive light.  
  
          "We're not beaten yet!" Matt called out.  
  
          "We've come too far to quit," Sora added.  
  
          "I won't let this world be destroyed," Joe said.  
  
          "We'll save the Digital World," Kari told them.  
  
          "And we'll save our world," TK yelled.  
  
          "After all, we're the Digi-destined!" they all shouted as their digivices completely encased the ball and shrank it down to nothingness. For a while they all stood there in the darkness.  
  
          "We did it!" Tai screamed, pumping his fist into the air. He ran over and hugged Matt, then picked up Sora and swung her around.  
  
          "We won!" Kari and TK exclaimed, laughing and dancing. The digimon all reformed to their rookie states, except Gatomon and Amber. The digi-human stood up and brushed herself off, then smiled at her friends.  
  
          "That was fun. Let's do it again," she teased.  
  
          "Let's not. I think I'm gonna throw up as it is," Joe informed them as everyone began chuckling. Just then they looked down and saw that the Digital World was returning to normal. File Island appeared first, and then the sea, and then the continent of Server. Everyone found themselves on solid ground again, and Gennai walked up to greet them.  
  
          "Well done, Digi-destined. You've saved not only the Digital World, but your own. Apocalymon has been defeated, thanks to you."  
  
          "Does that mean that Primary Village has been restored too?" Mimi wondered. She remembered seeing it all gray and devoid of all the digi- eggs. With the Dark Masters still controlling everything, no digimon had been able to be reborn.  
  
          "Of course, Mimi. And once Elecmon hatches, he'll get right to work caring for the other babies," Gennai explained. The Digi-destined all bowed their heads for a moment as they remembered Elecmon and his bravery in fighting Piedmon. But since he would be reborn, they weren't as sad as before. Just then, Kari and TK look up to see thousands of digi-eggs dropping from the sky! They landed on the soft ground and sparkled in the light of the sun. They were every color of the rainbow, and each had a different pattern on its shell. Laughing, TK, Patamon, Kari, and Gatomon raced out into the mass of digi-eggs.  
  
          "Father, will Mother also be reborn?" Amber asked.  
  
          "Yes my dear, she will be. But it will take time for her to hatch and then digi-volve to where she was when we knew her. But don't worry, once she's her old self, I'm sure she'll come find you." Tears slipped down Amber's cheek, and Matt lightly patted her arm. Sora and Mimi hugged her.  
  
          "Come on everyone, let's go see how the rest of the Digital World is doing!" Tai shouted as they all followed him. 


	8. Chapter 8

                                      Chapter 8  
  
   
  
Gennai found the kids and the digimon sitting by a lake. "This is where we spent our first night in the Digital World," Tai was saying.  
  
          "Yeah, and Gabumon digi-volved here for the first time to fight Seadramon," Matt added.  
  
          "It seems like we came here so long ago, even though it was only a second in our world," Sora brought up.  
  
          "But I'm glad we came here. I feel like I've grown up a lot," Mimi said.  
  
          "Me too," TK agreed.  
  
          "I think we've all learned a thing or two here," Joe pointed out.  
  
          "Have you learned not to be so paranoid?" Gomamon wondered.  
  
          "Nah, that'll never change," Joe laughingly replied.  
  
          "So, are you guys going to stay here for a little while longer?" Tentomon asked. Everyone thought about it for a moment.  
  
          "Well, we do have four weeks of summer left," Matt reminded them.  
  
          "And since three months here is one second in our world, we'll be here for a really long time," Kari said excitedly.  
  
          "By my calculations, we can stay here for one hundred and ten years," Izzy told them, typing away on his computer.  
  
          "Actually Izzy, that won't be possible," Gennai informed them.  
  
          "Why not?" Tai asked.  
  
          "When you defeated Apocalymon, the time in both our worlds were synchronized. Time now moves at the same speed that it does in your world."  
  
          "But that still means we have four weeks left here," Sora reminded him. Gennai shook his head and pointed up at the sun. A large shadow was forming across it, slowly blotting out the light.  
  
          "That eclipse is the gateway back to your world. If you don't go through it, you'll be stuck here."  
  
          "Then we'll just wait for another one," Joe said.  
  
          "I'm sorry kids, but that won't be possible either. Once the doorway between our worlds closes, it'll close forever. You have two hours to say goodbye to each other."  
  
          "Father, isn't there anything you can do?" Amber wondered.  
  
          "I'm sorry, my dear. This is completely beyond my control." Gennai walked away slowly, and the digimon turned to face their partners.  
  
          "You have to go?" Agumon asked softly.  
  
          "I guess so," Tai replied, kicking a rock with his shoe. The others all drifted off to say goodbye, while Amber ran after her father.  
  
          "Father, why won't the gateway ever open again?" she asked.  
  
          "Humans were never supposed to be able to get to the Digital World. The only ones who've ever been able to breach the gate are the Digi- destined. But now the powers that control this world have made it so that no human will be able to get back."  
  
          "But what if we need the Digi-destined again?"  
  
          "Then the gate will be opened for them. But for now, we must get things cleaned up here, and they must go back to their lives in their world."  
  
          "Father, I don't want them to leave," Amber protested. Gennai stared at his daughter for a moment. He saw the emotions on her face as plain as day. Sighing, he took her hand and looked into her eyes.  
  
          "Amber, you have a decision to make. Go back and talk with the Digi-destined. Only then will you know where your path will lead you."  
  
          "My path? I don't understand."  
  
          "You will, my dear. You will." Nodding, Amber raced back to her new friends. Gennai watched her go, and a sad smiled tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I'm so proud of you, Amber. You've grown up to be just like your mother. I only hope your decision will be the right one."  
  
          *                                               *                                               *  
  
   
  
          "Matt, are you really going back?" Gabumon asked his friend.  
  
          "What choice is there? Stay here forever or go back to our world."  
  
          "Do you want to go back?"  
  
          "I'd love to go back and forth, Gabumon. You're my friend." He sighed heavily, and Gabumon sighed as well. "I guess that about sums it up."  
  
          "I guess so. But Matt, won't you miss us?"  
  
          "Of course I will. You helped me to realize the power of my crest. I'll never forget you for that, Gabumon."  
  
          "What about Amber?" Matt stared at his partner, then threw a rock into the lake where Gabumon had first digi-volved.  
  
          "Sure I'll miss her. But what can I do about it? She probably wants to stay here with her father, and now her mother will be coming back." He thought about his own mother, and the anger he'd had towards her for leaving him and taking TK away all those years ago. While he was still bitter, he knew that she'd done what she thought was the right thing. She was his mother, no matter what happened.  
  
          "But what if she wanted to go with you and the others?" Gabumon pressed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Amber standing behind a tree. Matt sighed again and threw another rock.  
  
          "What's the use in talking about it? She won't come with us. There's nothing for her in our world. She belongs here, with her family."  
  
          "But I have you and the Digi-destined," Amber broke in, startling Matt. He stood up and winced a little, but Gabumon steadied him.  
  
          "But your parents-"  
  
          "My father has always been there for me, but even then I knew I never really fit in here. And it will be a long time before my mother becomes her old self again. Besides, I want to see your world."  
  
          "Amber, you won't be able to come back here," Matt reminded her.  
  
          "The Digital World has always been open for the Digi-destined. I have a feeling that you will be needed again. Even if it does take another fourteen years." She smiled shyly, and Matt took her hand.  
  
          "Okay, then come with us. I'm sure the others will be happy you're coming too." Gabumon smiled at his partner and Amber as they sat down. Matt took out his harmonica and played one last song. The sad melody drifted over everyone, and even Tai began crying. Izzy, Tentomon, and Gennai had just fixed the last wire in the old cable car, and it would be ready to take them home. Two by two the Digi-destined and their partners wandered back to the lake. All of them looked sad, but in their hearts they knew they'd see their friends again. Gatomon proudly showed off Kari's whistle to the others.  
  
          "Come on guys, let's go!" Tai called, boarding the cable car. He stopped when he saw Amber and Gennai hugging.  
  
          "I'll miss you, Father," she whispered.  
  
          "And I will miss you. Take care of yourself, Amber. Their world is a lot more dangerous than ours."  
  
          "Don't worry, Gennai. She'll be fine with them," Gabumon predicted.  
  
          "Take care of my daughter," the old man said to the Digi- destined.  
  
          "I think she'll do fine on her own," Sora told him, smiling at Amber. Tai didn't say a word, but smiled teasingly at Matt, who blushed. They all climbed onto the cable car, and Izzy started it up. Gatomon blew Kari's whistle as loud as she could, and the car began moving. The digimon ran after it, waving goodbye to their friends. Mimi tossed her pink hat to Palmon, who caught it with tears in her eyes.  
  
          "Goodbye! We'll miss you!" the Digi-destined called out as the cable car flew off into the eclipse. Behind them, they saw the gate close as they landed back in Odaiba. Their parents all ran to them, praising them and crying that they had their children back. Izzy's parents looked around curiously.  
  
          "What's wrong?" he asked them.  
  
          "Where's your friend Tentomon?" his mother asked. Izzy looked at the ground for a moment.  
  
          "He's back in the Digital World. The gate closed, and we couldn't stay." He hugged his parents tightly, and they cried with him.  
  
          "TK! Matt!" Ms. Takashi cried out when she saw them. Then she stopped short when she saw Amber, whose tail was waving behind her. "Oh, I see you brought a friend."  
  
          "Mommy, this is Amber. She's Gennai's daughter, the old guy we told you about," TK started babbling.  
  
          "It's nice to meet you both," Amber said to her and Mr. Ishida, bowing slightly. They bowed back and smiled.  
  
          "So Amber, where will you be staying?" Mr. Ishida wondered. She paled for a moment, then blushed.  
  
          "Staying? I'm not really-"  
  
          "Actually dad, I thought she could stay with us. Maybe even help out with the cooking?" Matt brought up.  
  
          "Well, the apartment does need a woman's touch," he replied.  
  
          "It'll only be for a little while, until I get used to this world," Amber promised. Ms. Takashi put both of her hands on the young girl's shoulders.  
  
          "You saved Matt's life. For that we will always be grateful. You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you like," she said.  
  
          "How did you see everything, mom?" TK wondered.  
  
          "We watched it through those big holes in the sky. But when you kids defeated Apocalymon, the holes closed up," Mr. Ishida explained.  
  
          "Thank you both. I would like to stay with you, and learn everything about your world," Amber said excitedly.  
  
          "Come on then, let's go home," Mr. Ishida said. TK and Matt hugged each other, then parted ways. Tai waved at Matt and Amber, and they both shouted and waved back. Now that the crisis in the Digital World was over, it was time to straighten up things in the real world. 


End file.
